It is not possible to remove an external Steam Library while the application is open.
It is not possible to remove an external Steam Library while the application is open.
Hi everyone, I upgraded my laptop a while back with an SSD, but I didn’t get the 500GB 850 EVO I thought I needed. Now I have a 250GB drive. I’m planning to install games on it and know I can use a Steam library on an external HDD. But when I tried this, Steam would get confused every time I unplugged the HDD, requiring me to re-recognize the files each time I connected it. That’s slow, especially with a 5400rpm drive. Do you have any idea how to avoid that re-recognition while keeping the external HDD plugged in for convenience? I really want to stay open in Steam for notifications and friends while not playing games. Thanks!
It doesn’t retain information unless the hard drive is connected to the computer before Steam begins. It should share the same drive identifier. Otherwise, you’ll need to re-enter it each time. I’m unsure if Steam is placed in the same folder as your system. Sometimes I only use the boot drive, other times the computer gets confused about which letter corresponds to which drive.
I’ll need to try this when I’m back, but you can trick Steam by keeping the appmanifest file in local storage and making a symbolic link of the game inside the library’s common folder. As long as Steam doesn’t attempt anything with the game, it should be fine. However, any interaction with the game—like launching or updating—will trigger Steam’s actions.
I tried it out. It seems Steam doesn't recognize any changes. There could be problems if it attempts to update the game. The steps are: ensure Steam is closed and the external drive is connected. Locate the game's appmanifest in the "steamapps" folder of the Steam Library. The identifier matches the number in the game's URL on Steam. If you haven't done so, copy the appmanifest to your local storage. Run a command prompt with admin privileges. Navigate to the local Steam library's "common" directory using cd and the full path. If spaces exist, enclose the path in quotes. For instance: cd "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common" Then create a symbolic link with mklink /J [game folder] "E:\Apps\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common[path]". When you start Steam, the game should show up as installed. If you disable the external drive, Steam shouldn't notice. Updated July 17, 2018 by M.Yurizaki fixing mklink command